Overland Track
Encyclopedia
The Overland Track is one of Australia's most famous bush walk
s, situated in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
, Tasmania
. More than 8000 walkers each year complete the track. Officially, the track runs for 65 km from Cradle Mountain
to Lake St Clair. However, many choose to add the hike along Lake St Clair as a natural extension, bringing the length to 82 km. The track winds through terrain ranging from sheer mountains, temperate rainforest, wild rivers and alpine plains all in the Tasmanian Wilderness
World Heritage Area
.
Aside from the main track there are also several alternative side tracks, including to the summits of Cradle Mountain and Mount Ossa, the tallest mountain in Tasmania. Also within reach are a group of tarns called The Labyrinth and Lake St Clair (the deepest lake in Australia). World-renowned for its pristine environment and beauty, the walk has been compared to New Zealand
's Milford Track
.
Walkers complete the trail in 5–6 days. This is normally done from north to south, which is the mandatory direction between 1 November and 30 April. The record time is 7 hours and 25 minutes, achieved by Andy Kromar during the Cradle Mountain Run.
s during the last ice age
, and the prominent mountains are composed of dolerite columns. The climate is generally unstable, with temperatures ranging from hot (35+°C) in summer to below zero in winter. Snow can fall at anytime and is common during the winter, especially on the Cradle Mountain Plateau and around Mount Ossa. Rain is very common, sometimes torrential though often settling to days of drizzle.
The most common fauna are Tasmanian Pademelon
s (native), possum
s and small rodents most of which are native. Also decidedly present, but not necessarily seen, are quoll
s, echidna
s, tasmanian devil
s and wombat
s. There are also the famous Tasmanian leeches. The trail traverses areas of many types of vegetation, including Myrtle Beech
forest, Eucalypt
s forest, Button Grass plains (swamps), alpine herb fields and shrubs and mosses.
The trail is mostly well defined and adequately marked. The trail condition however varies greatly. There are long sections of duckboard (boardwalk) which consist of split logs embedded in the ground, held together with wire and nails. Where there is no duckboard, the conditions can sometimes be very muddy. In winter, the mud is frozen solid early in the morning, however offsetting this is the problem of slippery ice on the duckboard. The mud is not nearly as frequent or deep as hikes in the south west, due mainly to the duckboard.
Inexperienced walkers are advised to undertake the walk in summer, when the days are longer and the weather milder. The number of visitors is controlled in summer by the 'Overland Pass' a limited number of which are available. The walk is not challenging provided that walkers are adequately prepared with proper equipment. The track is covered by the Tasmap
Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair 1:100000 map.
Backpacking (wilderness)
Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...
s, situated in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park
Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park is located in the Central Highlands area of Tasmania , 165 km northwest of Hobart. The park contains many walking trails, and is where hikes along the well-known Overland Track usually begins...
, Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. More than 8000 walkers each year complete the track. Officially, the track runs for 65 km from Cradle Mountain
Cradle Mountain
Cradle Mountain is a mountain in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia. Rising to 1,545 metres above sea level it is one of the principal tourist sites in Tasmania, owing to its natural beauty...
to Lake St Clair. However, many choose to add the hike along Lake St Clair as a natural extension, bringing the length to 82 km. The track winds through terrain ranging from sheer mountains, temperate rainforest, wild rivers and alpine plains all in the Tasmanian Wilderness
Tasmanian Wilderness
The Tasmanian Wilderness is a term that is used for a range of areas in Tasmania, Australia.The World Heritage Areas in South West, Western and Central are the most well known. However, there are also other areas in Tasmania that have the elements of being known as wilderness areas, the Tarkine...
World Heritage Area
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
.
Aside from the main track there are also several alternative side tracks, including to the summits of Cradle Mountain and Mount Ossa, the tallest mountain in Tasmania. Also within reach are a group of tarns called The Labyrinth and Lake St Clair (the deepest lake in Australia). World-renowned for its pristine environment and beauty, the walk has been compared to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's Milford Track
Milford Track
The Milford Track is a widely known tramping route in New Zealand – located amidst mountains and temperate rain forest in Fiordland National Park in the southwest of the South Island....
.
Walkers complete the trail in 5–6 days. This is normally done from north to south, which is the mandatory direction between 1 November and 30 April. The record time is 7 hours and 25 minutes, achieved by Andy Kromar during the Cradle Mountain Run.
History
Europeans first explored Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair in the 1820s, and prospectors and hunters continued to explore the area well into the 20th century. It was not until 1931 that fur trapper Bert Nichols blazed the Overland Track and by 1935 it was consolidated and used by independent walking parties.Landscape, Climate, Flora and Fauna
The landscape was all carved by glacierGlacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s during the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
, and the prominent mountains are composed of dolerite columns. The climate is generally unstable, with temperatures ranging from hot (35+°C) in summer to below zero in winter. Snow can fall at anytime and is common during the winter, especially on the Cradle Mountain Plateau and around Mount Ossa. Rain is very common, sometimes torrential though often settling to days of drizzle.
The most common fauna are Tasmanian Pademelon
Pademelon
Pademelons are small marsupials of the genus Thylogale. They are usually found in forests. Pademelons are the smallest of the macropods...
s (native), possum
Possum
A possum is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi .Possums are quadrupedal diprotodont marsupials with long tails...
s and small rodents most of which are native. Also decidedly present, but not necessarily seen, are quoll
Quoll
The quoll, or native cat, is a carnivorous marsupial native to mainland Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania. It is primarily nocturnal and spends most of the day in its den. There are six species of quoll; four are found in Australia and two in New Guinea...
s, echidna
Echidna
Echidnas , also known as spiny anteaters, belong to the family Tachyglossidae in the monotreme order of egg-laying mammals. There are four extant species, which, together with the platypus, are the only surviving members of that order and are the only extant mammals that lay eggs...
s, tasmanian devil
Tasmanian Devil
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae, now found in the wild only on the Australian island state of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, it became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936...
s and wombat
Wombat
Wombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately in length with a short, stubby tail. They are adaptable in their habitat tolerances, and are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania, as well as...
s. There are also the famous Tasmanian leeches. The trail traverses areas of many types of vegetation, including Myrtle Beech
Myrtle Beech
Nothofagus cunninghamii, the Myrtle Beech, is an evergreen tree native to Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. It grows mainly in the temperate rainforests. It is not related to the Myrtle family....
forest, Eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
s forest, Button Grass plains (swamps), alpine herb fields and shrubs and mosses.
Sights
The Overland Track contains some spectacular scenery created by glacier action.- Lakes (Lake St ClairLake St Clair (Tasmania)Lake St Clair is a lake in the Central Highlands area of Tasmania, Australia. It forms part of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park. It has a maximum depth of 200 m, making it Australia's deepest lake....
, Lake Will, Lake Windermere, Dove Lake) - Mountains (Cradle MountainCradle MountainCradle Mountain is a mountain in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia. Rising to 1,545 metres above sea level it is one of the principal tourist sites in Tasmania, owing to its natural beauty...
, Barn BluffBarn BluffBarn Bluff is a mountain located in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in the Central Highlands of Tasmania at the junction of the eastern most points of the Murchison River and Mackintosh River river catchments...
, Mount Ossa, Mount Pelion EastMount Pelion EastMount Pelion East is in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania, Australia. It is the sixteenth highest mountain in Tasmania at 1461 metres, slightly higher than the better known Frenchmans Cap at 1446 metres...
, Mount Pelion WestMount Pelion WestMount Pelion West is a mountain located in the Central Highlands of Tasmania and in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park It is located at the eastern most boundary of the Murchison River, Tasmania river catchment.-Height:...
, The Acropolis, Mount Rufus) - Waterfalls (Hartnett Falls, Ferguson Falls, D'alton Falls)
Walking
| Trail Location |
The trail is mostly well defined and adequately marked. The trail condition however varies greatly. There are long sections of duckboard (boardwalk) which consist of split logs embedded in the ground, held together with wire and nails. Where there is no duckboard, the conditions can sometimes be very muddy. In winter, the mud is frozen solid early in the morning, however offsetting this is the problem of slippery ice on the duckboard. The mud is not nearly as frequent or deep as hikes in the south west, due mainly to the duckboard.
Inexperienced walkers are advised to undertake the walk in summer, when the days are longer and the weather milder. The number of visitors is controlled in summer by the 'Overland Pass' a limited number of which are available. The walk is not challenging provided that walkers are adequately prepared with proper equipment. The track is covered by the Tasmap
Tasmap
Tasmap is the main government authority for the state of Tasmania in Australia for the mapping and management of land information systems for the state....
Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair 1:100000 map.
Side Tracks
There are a number of side trips that can be undertaken while on the Overland Track. From north to south these are:- Cradle Mountain SummitCradle MountainCradle Mountain is a mountain in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia. Rising to 1,545 metres above sea level it is one of the principal tourist sites in Tasmania, owing to its natural beauty...
- 2 km, 2–3 hours return. - Barn BluffBarn BluffBarn Bluff is a mountain located in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in the Central Highlands of Tasmania at the junction of the eastern most points of the Murchison River and Mackintosh River river catchments...
- 7 km, 3–4 hours return. - Lake Will - 3 km, 1 hour return.
- Mount Pelion WestMount Pelion WestMount Pelion West is a mountain located in the Central Highlands of Tasmania and in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park It is located at the eastern most boundary of the Murchison River, Tasmania river catchment.-Height:...
- 6 km, 5–6 hours return. - Old Pelion HutOld Pelion HutOld Pelion Hut is an alpine hut located in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in the Central Highlands of Tasmania. It was built for the Mount Pelion Copper Mining Company at around 1936. .-External links:* *...
(with swimming hole) - 1 km, 25 minutes return - Mount Oakleigh - 8 km, 4–5 hours return.
- Mount Ossa - 6 km, 3.5-4.5 hours return.
- Mount Pelion EastMount Pelion EastMount Pelion East is in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania, Australia. It is the sixteenth highest mountain in Tasmania at 1461 metres, slightly higher than the better known Frenchmans Cap at 1446 metres...
- Pine Valley, Tasmania
- The Acropolis
- The Labyrinth
- Ferguson Falls and D'alton Falls - 1 km, 1-1.5 hours return.
- Hartnett Falls - 1.5 km, 1 hour return.
- Mount Rufus
Huts
The track has many huts, enabling hikers to stay indoors every night. There is no booking system for huts, so it is mandatory for hikers to carry a tent in case there is no space available or there is an incident on the track. Commercial groups are not encouraged to use the huts overnight and while one company operates from a set of five private huts, all other operators use the designated group camping areas near each of the main huts.Main Trail Huts
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Waterfall Valley Hut Waterfall Valley Hut Waterfall Valley Hut is located in the Cradle Mountain National Park, Tasmania, Australia .It is the most northerly of six overnight huts located along the Overland Track. It sleeps up to 32 people in a single room, which also houses tables and bench seats for cooking and eating... |
41°42′53"S 145°56′49"E |
| Windermere Hut | 41°46′18"S 145°57′23"E |
| New Pelion Hut New Pelion Hut New Pelion Hut is the largest alpine hut in the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in the Central Highlands of Tasmania, Australia-History:... |
41°49′46"S 146°2′47"E |
| Kia Ora Hut | 41°53′32"S 146°4′53"E |
| Windy Ridge Hut | 41°55′56"S 146°5′20"E |
| Narcissus Hut Narcissus Hut Narcissus Hut is an alpine hut located in the Central Highlands of Tasmania. It was built in 1935 and rebuilt in 1963.Narcissus Hut is located on Lake St Clair, on the Overland Track.- Facilities :* Bunks * Table & Benches... |
42°0′45"S 146°6′6"E |
| Echo Point Hut | 42°2′37"S 146°8′17"E |
Side Route Huts
| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Pine Valley Hut | 41°57′31"S 146°3′48"E |
| Scott-Kilvert Memorial Hut | 41°41′33"S 145°57′56"E |
Day Use and Emergency shelters
Overnight use of these is prohibited except in an emergency| Name | Location |
|---|---|
| Kitchen Hut | 41°40′32.7"S 145°56′46"E |
| Rangers Hut | 41°40′21"S 145°57′56"E |
| Du Cane Hut | 41°54′17"S 146°6′8"E |
| Old Pelion Hut Old Pelion Hut Old Pelion Hut is an alpine hut located in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in the Central Highlands of Tasmania. It was built for the Mount Pelion Copper Mining Company at around 1936. .-External links:* *... |
41°49′34"S 146°2′9"E |
External links
- Tasmania Parks & Wildlife - The Overland Track
- The Overland Track
- Waypoints, KML file - To assist with trip planning
- Photojournal covering trail highlights
- The Overland Track - John Chapman webpage